Thursday, November 12, 2020

Christmas Puddings - Martin Bosley Cooks


Have yourself a merry little Christmas 
Let your heart be bright
Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.
                                                   Hugh Martin

 I am starting to get excited about Christmas. It is my favourite time of year, with many of my favourite songs, favourite foods and favourite activities in my favourite season (summer), with some of my favourite people.  I hope to be allowed to go home to my family - fingers crossed.

I made my Christmas cake months ago, but decided to turn my hand to Christmas puddings next.

I have owned Martin Bosley Cooks for years, and have always meant to make his Christmas pudding recipe but never quite gotten around to it.  Well, now I have!  Martin’s recipe makes 4 x 12cm puddings - I halved it to make 8 x 4cm puddings.

Instead of using muslin to cover the puddings while steaming in the oven, I made pleated baking paper covers:


I have no idea what they’ll taste like, but hopefully good!

To make a half recipe my way, you will need:

1/2 cup raisins
75g sultanas
75g currants
50g blanched almonds, chopped
90g vegetarian suet
juice and zest of half an orange
juice and zest of half a lemon
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and grated
1/2 carrot, peeled and grated
60g flour (I used a gluten free flour mix)
1 1/2 eggs
pinch of salt
pinch of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon mixed spice 
60ml brandy
75ml stout

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 48 hours. (I skipped this due to time constraints.)

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius, and grease 8x 4cm pudding moulds.  Divide the pudding mixture evenly between the moulds. Press the mixture down firmly. Place circles of baking paper that have been lightly greased  over the top of the mixture. 

Cover the top of each mould with a circle of damp muslin tied with string (or do as I did - use baking paper with a steam “pleat” instead).

Line a large roasting dish with baking paper and put the puddings on top. Put the dish in the preheated oven, and pour in enough water into the dish to come halfway up the side of the pudding moulds.

Cover the dish with foil, and cut a small hoke in the centre of the foil to release the steam.  Bake in the oven for 4 hours.

Remove the puddings from the oven and allow them to cool completely before unmoulding them and wrapping in baking paper then foil.

On Christmas Day, reheat the puddings and serve with custard and cream or brandy butter.

2 comments:

Mae Travels said...

That looks very "Great British Baking Show" style! Today we watched an episode with suet puddings. I hope you enjoy them when the time is right.

be safe! ...mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Cakelaw said...

Thanks Mae, you stay safe too. Hopefully no soggy bottoms on my puddings!!